By Georgia Cunningham, Business Director, Medialab
Early in my career, I replied honestly to a colleague’s “How are you?” with “Not so great today.” The silence that followed made it clear I’d broken an unwritten rule: don’t talk about your feelings at work.
Thankfully, attitudes have shifted since then. Major firms like BT Group and Sainsbury’s are leading the way in providing dedicated mental health initiatives, with their CEOs publicly supporting employee wellbeing.
However, in high-pressure industries like media and advertising, old stigmas persist. Recent data shows that many still hesitate to take time off and are unable to discuss their mental health at all and only a small minority feel supported when it comes to mental health. More conversations are happening, but they often tend to be hushed, and many employees still feel it’s best to answer that still-high-jeopardy question with an “I’m fine” smile.
Progress, but stigma remains
Across the board, UK workplace happiness is among the lowest in Europe, and in the media industry, stress is widespread and growing. This is seen in 20% more people using NABS’ services in 2024 than the year before, and three-fifths of workers having considered leaving the sector due to burnout. The fear of missing out, letting teams down, or losing credibility keeps many silent about their struggles. Vulnerability is still seen as a weakness, and honesty about mental health can feel risky. “How are you?” is rarely ever answered honestly.
Some companies are changing this narrative by treating mental health as a shared responsibility between employer and employee, rather than a personal failing. I’m lucky enough to work at one of them, where embracing the concept of community has made a real difference.
Harnessing the connective power of community
Community is so essential to modern business that the World Health Organisation (WHO) lists it as a key tenet of “decent work” beyond the basics like earning a livelihood. This is a potent reminder that communities aren’t just supportive – they’re essential for creating workplaces where people can truly thrive. Providing opportunities to connect, socialise, and belong is a start, but real support means building a culture of trust where people feel heard and understood.
It’s a big ask, but not an impossible one. This is how we are doing it at Medialab:
An open space for sharing
Psychological safety is crucial. Employees need to know they can share their feelings without judgment or negative consequences. One of the most important steps to establishing this is cultivating safe spaces.
We’ve established multiple community groups that give our team the chance to connect and learn, such as Women@Medialab, GreatMinds@Medialab, Roots@Medialab, and Footprints@Medialab — all of which have led inspiring initiatives, from peer-led mentoring schemes and thought-provoking speaker events, to safe spaces for open dialogue and action planning around equity, inclusion, education, and sustainability. Our Balance community provides a secure space for people to be heard. Through regular ‘Together We Stand’ sessions. These are open forum sessions where every employee is welcome to join and share their lived experiences and mental health challenges, fostering empathy and understanding across the team.
Always-On Support
Policies alone aren’t enough – support must be visible, tangible, and accessible. At Medialab, every one of our line managers is trained in mental health awareness, and one in every 15 team members is trained as a Mental Health First Aider. We provide access to 24/7 support for mental, emotional, and financial challenges. We also offer unlimited, free specialised counselling, private medical insurance, and health cash plans, making it easy to access professional mental health care when needed.
Making Compassion Business as Usual
Lasting team happiness, productivity, and loyalty come from embedding mental health awareness into daily operations. We give everyone the option to take an annual mental health day and enforce a strict email embargo from 7 pm to 7 am, protecting work-life boundaries. These aren’t just perks, they’re essential to what makes our approach effective. Small, consistent measures make the biggest impact.
And it doesn’t stop there. Through our client work, we champion mental health messaging on a broader scale: supporting charity partners such as Mind, Save the Children, and Guide Dogs, where inclusive storytelling and sensitivity to mental wellbeing are embedded in how we plan and communicate campaigns.
Moving Forward Together
Mental health is no longer entirely taboo, but there’s always more to do. We’re on the right track, but we must push even harder to change hard-to-shake perceptions. In the media industry, that means moving from our naturally competitive dynamic to putting people first and building communities that prioritise balance and compassion.
By standing together, we can create workplaces where everyone feels safe to be honest, seek help, and support one another. That’s how we’ll truly change the story on mental health in our industry.
